The Pendragon Chronicles
The Beginning The year is 1066 and the setting is medieval Europe. This is a time of political intrigue, scandal, and diplomacy. War rages across Europe on all fronts against nations large and small, against Muslims, Pagans, and Christians. The Kings and Dukes fight for personal glory, greed, and land. The corrupt rule and the innocent and the weak suffer. However, a new family of contenders is rising in the British Isles. One that will bring order and justice to the lawless societies of Europe and forever change history. Enter the Pendragon. The Pendragon Dynasty: Genealogy and Their History History of the Pendragon Rulers (This is a textual supplement to our Crusader Kings 2 Let's play that supplies the rulers, their wives, and major events that occur in their lives throughout the campaign, If you wish to add your own created story or add in details that is in line with the Characters and their history that is fine by me, but be aware if I don't like the edits, I'll change them). The Beginning of the Pendragons, the Reign of Uther I "The Wise" (r.1066-1086): The Pendragon Family came into being in the year 1066 when young Uther inherited the Duchy of Gwynedd at age 25. During the first years of his reign, he married Duchess Matilda I of Tuscany. After the first 2 years of his reign, Uther begins the subjugation of the surrounding Welsh areas and starts off with the individual and divided provinces first. After claiming his first territory in Wales, he then turned his sights on his homelands and his duchy. Because he wished to consolidate his power under his duchy in Gwynedd he forced out the Earl of Perfeddwlad and seized his lands for his own purposes thus placing all of Gwynedd under his direct rule. On April 6, 1072 Uther joined his wife's war for Tuscan Independence against the Holy Roman Empire. During the Tuscan war for independence, Uther sustained an injury on the Italian mainland in 1075 but recovered. However this war would end abruptly on December 8, 1075 when Duchess Matilda would die of consumption at age 29 leaving the Duchy of Tuscany and all of its vassals and titles to Arthur, the four year old son and heir of Uther and Matilda. A year later, Uther declares war on Gwent and achieves a crushing victory due to superior numbers and expands his demense further. After 10 years of peace in 1084, Uther creates the title Brenin or King of Wales and crowns himself the sovereign lord of all of Wales. A few months later Uther than remarries to the Queen of Poland. After many years of rule, Uther dies at the age of 44 due to a past wound suffered in war and King Arthur I takes the throne at age 14. The Reign of King Arthur I "The White" (r.1086-1113): Arthur's reign began as a turbulent one with many changes to the Welsh Kingdom. When he ascended the throne in 1086, he brought the Duchy of Tuscany into the Welsh realm because of his inheritance and he suffered under a regency for two years. Upon his ascension, Arthur lost control of Powys to his brother, Galahad because of the Gavelkind succession law but this would not stop this monarch. Arthur took control of the throne as the official monarch in 1088 married the Queen of Poland his Step Mother, and immediately is drawn into war with Lombardy to prevent the small province in Italy from breaking away into the Holy Roman Empire. However, in 1090 Arthur surrenders to the Duke of Lombardy and cedes control of the province to the Holy Roman Empire. Within a year after his war, Arthur divorces his wife and marries the Duchess of Mazovia of Poland. Arthur ruled Wales with an iron fist and became known as King Arthur The White after his successful subjugation of the remaining Welsh provinces. By the end of his reign in 1113 Arthur The White had successful unified Wales and begun the first invasion of Ireland by attacking Desmond. However his war with Ireland would result in his downfall as he would be slain in battle against the Irish of Desmond on June 5th. Reign of King Alwyn I "The Wise" (r.1124-1138 ): Alwyn would claim the throne of Wales with major difficulties. When his predecessor, King Arthur perished in battle Alwyn was placed on the throne at the age of five years old under a regency during a time of war. At the time of his succession, Alwyn would be fighting a civil war in his own lands in Wales and a war across the sea against the Irish of Desmond. From the beginning of his regency however, people could tell that Alwyn would become a ruler to be reckoned with. By the beginning of his tutelage his peers and councillors could already tell that Alwyn had the brain of a genius (Alwyn had the genius trait) and would be a powerful monarch for Wales. After Alwyn won his war with Desmond in 1113, the Duchess of Modena revolted which would add to the increasing pressure on the weak monarchy under regency. The regent of Wales proved to be resourceful though and he managed to lead the Welsh forces to victory and suppress the revolt of the Countess of Pembroke in 1118. After a 6 year war with the Duchess of Modena, Alwyn would prove victorious in 1119 and would imprison the Duchess and revoke her title of Duchess of Modena. After the revolts of Pembroke and Modena, the realm endured 5 years of peace under the multiple regents as Alwyn matured and aged. By June 7, 1124 Alwyn claimed the throne of Wales at the age of 16 and became known as King Alwyn I of Wales.In the first year of his reign, Alwyn warred against the countess of Perfeddwlad. In 1125, the earl of Lucca rose up in rebellion to Alwyn's rule as well. In 1126, Alwyn brutally suppresses the countess of Perfeddwlad and seizes her land and exiles the earl of Lucca. During the time of rebellions against Lucca and Perfeddwlad Alwyn would also marry the young Duchess of Corsica who would in time give birth to the most powerful monarch of Wales, Damin. By the end of his reign, Alwyn "The Wise" had conquered Munster, Leinster, and Meath and named himself the first King of Wales and Ireland. On October 3, 1138 Alwyn dies and passes the throne to his son, Damin. Reign of King Damin I "The Wise" ( r.1143- 1192): Damin inherited the throne after his father, Alwyn I died and was left with under a five year regency. For the first five years of his reign under regency, the earless of Lucca and Duke of Powys rebelled and the Pope attacked Damin's Italian lands to claim Spoleto. By the time of his crowning in 1143, Damin had lost the province of Spoleto to the Pope but had quelled the rebellions of Lucca and Powys successful by December of 1143. After the brief period of instability Damin's reign would turn out to be quoted by scholars (frewd) as the golden age of Wales. Interestingly enough, Damin's first move in 1143 involved marrying Ashild who despite her low standing was a paragon of virtue and talents. In 1144, the Earlessa of Perfeddwlad declares war on Damin only to be suppressed and exiled from the Kingdom of Wales. After Damin's unsuccessful invasion of Connacht in 1145, the Duke of Modena declares a war of independence in 1147. The War of Modena Independence fails however in July of the same year and Damin strips the Duke of his title. Damin is known for completing what his father started in Ireland. By the year 1149, Damin completely subjugated the Irish lords and brought them under his kingdom. After 1149, he would begin the wars of Welsh Conquest against Scotland and England forever changing history. In 1151, Damin declares war against Scotland over the Scottish Duchy of Moray. On October 29, 1152 King Magnus II of Scotland surrenders to Damin and cedes the Duchy of Moray, completely cutting his country in half. After the war over Moray with Scotland, Damin is also bestowed the title "The Wise" like his father before him. After conquering much of Scotland, Damin kept Wales at peace for four years, dealing with internal problems and soldifying the Pendragon Dynasty. In 1156 he took up the offense again and declared war against King Leofwine of England for the Duchy of Mercia and would successful seize control of Mercia by 1157. This war would eventually be known by the common people as the war for the "nutsack" due to the shape of the territory carved out of England as a result. After the war against England Damin eventually decides to divorce his wife and betroth himself to the 11 year old Queen of Aragon, Llucia and then marries her in 1162. In December of 1162 Damin then declared war on Scotland over the Duchy of Galloway and would prove successful by 1163. By the time of his death in 1192, Damin had achieved the impossible and completely brought England and Scotland to their knees. By 1192, Damin had conquered the Duchies of Lothian, Northumbria, The Isles, York, Hereford, Brittany, and the Five Boroughs and would be named King of Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Reign of Emperor Edwyn I "Lackland" (r.1192- ): Edwyn ascended the throne at the age of 19 after his father, Damin I's death in 1192. Edwyn would be given a nation with little unrest and would have a very easy transition into his Kingdom. However in 1192, Edwyn would assassinate his mother and inherit the Kingdom of Aragon and would be forced to fight a defensive war against the Muslim nation of Andalusia but would win and force the Sultan to surrender on January 13,1196. By late February in 1197 Edwyn would win his first major conquest over Albany which would result in the Duke of Albany losing his duchy and being forced back to the title of Earl of Albany. After eight years of constant warfare with England Edwyn would accomplish what his dynasty always desired by becoming the King of England. By the year 1205 Edwyn would be crowned King of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales and on August 16th, 1207 Edwyn would be named the first Emperor of the British Isles. In 15 years Edwyn would accomplish the unthinkable. After his ascension to the throne of the British Empire, Edwyn would marry multiple times to the Queen of Denmark and then eventually the Duchess of Poitou in France. In just a few short months after the start of his imperial rule, Edwyn would declare war on France to place his son Damin on the throne. Even though this war would prove to be successful and Damin would be crowned King Damin I of France in 1209 he would be assassinated in 1217. In the British Empire, Edwyn slowly but successful took his enemies apart piece by piece when he declared war on the Duke of East Anglia in 1210 and successful claimed the duchy for the British by October of the same year. In the last years of his reign Edwyn would conquer the rest of central and northern England and would leave the British Empire in the hands of his son, Cynfawr I of Denmark so that Cynfawr could complete the conquest of the Duchy of Kent and Wessex. Edwyn died on April 16, 1230. Reign of Emperor Cynfawr I "The Hunter" (r.1230- 1249): Emperor Cynfawr I, commonly known as Cynfawr the Hunter is known in the Pendragon Family history for his onbringing of the "Dark Age" of the British Isles. When Cynfawr took the throne of the British Isles in 1230 after his father perished, decided to not sit quietly with him on the throne because they did not with to be ruled by an excommunicated ruler. Within months of his succession, the Duke of Northumbria, the Earl of Burghaendaeholm, and the Earlessa of Ferrara would revolt against Cynfawr in April, 1230 and thus begin the period of fragmentation and civil war in the British Isles. By the end of his first year in 1230, the Duke of Northumbria, the Earl of Burghaendaeholm, the Duke of the Isles, the Duchess of Valencia, the Duke of Corsica, and the countess of Clydesdale revolted and would test the mettle and the strength of Cynfawr to hold together the empire his family built up for almost 200 years. Despite these multiple revolts however, Cynfawr would manage to hold together the British Isles. On January 1, 1231 the Countess of Clydesdale surrendered to Cynfawr and submitted to imprisonment. On November 10, 1231 the Duke of Northumbria surrendered to Cynfawr. This cycle of constant revolts and then surrenders would continue for over 15 years of Cynfawr's reign. By the end of the period of civil war in the British Isles in 1245, Cynfawr had aged beyond his years and had gained experience as an extraordinary fighter and brilliant strategist. In the Dark Age period of the British Isles, Cynfawr did lose a small amount of territory. He was forced to let go of the Duchy of Mallorca, part of the Duchy of Anjoy, and the Kingdom of Denmark to the Mongols due to his forces being stretched across multiple theaters of war. Despite these losses Cynfawr accomplished the impossible, in 1249 he managed to lift his excommunication and bring eternal peace for the first time in his reign. Cynfawr would eventually join the Templar Order and travel to the holy land to fight the Muslims with his Christian Brethren. On September 27, 1249 Cynfawr died an honorable death in battle against the Muslim assassins and his reign ended. Despite Cynfawr's early shortcomings during his reign, he will be remembered as the monarch who held the Empire together during the largest crisis ever seen. Emperor Deiniol I: (r. 1249 - 1285) Deiniol I ascended the throne of the British Isles on September 27, 1249 after his father, Cynfawr "The Hunter" perished in battle against the Arab assassins. Deiniol immediately assumed command over his father's war for control over Kent to begin working towards his goal to create a unified Britannia under his rule and accomplish what his father could not. On January 15th, 1250 Deiniol defeated the King of Kent and annexed a province into Britain's control. The realm indured five months of peace until Deiniol went to war against the Earl of Perfeddwlad over his rightful title. He forced him to surrender on November 1st of the same year and Deiniol reasserted his direct control over the province. After his first two wars, the British Isles stayed at peace for two years. Deiniol began focusing on getting an heir for the realm and managed to sire a son on his wife which he named Damin.In 1252 war began once again with the brief revolts of the Earl of Bedford and the Duchess of Valencia. By July of 1255 Deiniol put down both revolts and punished the Earl and Duchess accordingly. After the revolts of 1255, Deiniol began the most expansive invasion ever attempted in the history of the Pendragons. On June 30th, 1255 Deiniol began the invasion of Castille. Finally, after two years of bloody fighting between the two nations Castille surrendered on November 25th, 1257 placing the Dowager Empress Elvira (Deiniol's mother) on the throne of Castille. However, Deiniol's expansion was far from over. The Pendragon War for Castille only gave parts of Spain to Elvira which Deiniol would eventually inherit and the Duchy of Wessex and much of Galacia, Toulouse, and Leon still remained under the Kingdom of Leon's control. In 1258 Deiniol stepped closer to unification of Britain by wrestling the British Duchy of Wessex from Leon's grasp. Britain endured two years of peace once again until the war for the final unification of Britain began when Deiniol declared war on the King of Kent in 1260 and on June 18th, 1261 Deiniol accomplished the unthinkable and unified Britain under one single empire. Emperor Annun I "The Alchemist": (r. 1285 - 1306) Annun inherited the throne of Britain after his father Deiniol died of old age and infirmity in 1285.Upon his ascension to the throne, Annun married Gorislava, a Russian courtier present in Wales. After a year however, Annun divorced his wife due to her inability to produce him a proper heir and then married Agathe, a German woman acting as chancellor in the Holy Roman Empire. From 1286 to 1290 Annun kept peace in the empire and produced children with his wife and put down constant revolts of the Spanish nobles. On March 26th, 1290 Annun declared war on the Swedish for control of the last duchy in Spain. After a year however, the King of Sweden surrendered his Spanish territories and Annun achieved complete control of Hispania. The British Isles remained in peace after the war with Sweden and besides a few minor revolts in France and Ireland, Annun ruled without distress. In 1294 he took another wife, Arianrhood so he could have a younger wife to whelp sons and daughters on. After another three years, Annun then ventured where no Welshman had gone before and declared a war for control of Norway in 1297. Annun lead his forces swiftly across the ocean and easily subjugated Norway in less than a year. Scandanavia was now ripe for the picking in Annun's eyes and he set his eyes on further territorial expansion. Now before the tale of the Pendragons ends, Annun committed one final act for the glory and prestige of the Pendragons. On March 19th 1306 he declared war against the Holy Roman Empire to put his daughter on the throne. By declaring war against the HRE, Annun undertook the greatest war his dynasty had ever attempted and began the Western-Central European War for dominance. Through determination, courage, and skill Annun managed to lead the forces of the Pendragons to victory against the Emperor in less than a year and on November 24 of the same year Annun fought the final war of his dynasty with the control of Western and Central Europe. The Pendragon Curse The Pendragon's have had a rather interesting problem since Alwyn I came of age. This problem, is the fact that they think that every single woman who enters their court loves them. Fortunatly the ever watching frewd100 has steered them away from this problem.... most of the time. ? Now, who is the source of this? Are the Pendragons just too.....attractive? I doubt it, it seems they must just think they are too attractive.